


coming home to you

by earlgrey_milktea



Series: milktea's saso2017 fills [5]
Category: Free!
Genre: Cheesy, Developing Relationship, Falling In Love, Fluff, Friendship, M/M, Neighbours AU, mackerel is mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-31
Updated: 2017-05-31
Packaged: 2018-11-07 11:05:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11057652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/earlgrey_milktea/pseuds/earlgrey_milktea
Summary: haru has been holed up in his apartment working on his webcomic, but sunshine incarnate tachibana makoto just moved in next door, and is determined to convince haru that the world isn't all that bad, and maybe home is not simply a place, but a person.





	coming home to you

**Author's Note:**

> original prompt thread [here](http://sportsanime.dreamwidth.org/21522.html?thread=10116882#cmt10116882)

Someone is knocking on Haru’s door. He frowns, looking up from his tablet. No one ever knocks on his door except maybe door-to-door salespeople, but they haven’t been coming since the landlady got stricter with who comes and goes in this complex.

Maybe if he ignores them they’ll go away.

The knocking continues, and then a brief pause. Haru’s just breathing out a sigh of relief when a voice calls through the door, “Hello? Anybody home? Nanase-san?”

Sighing, Haru climbs out of his chair and makes his way to the door. He cracks it open. There’s a guy standing in the hallway, broad-shouldered, tall, with shaggy brown hair and the greenest eyes Haru has ever seen. When he spots Haru peeking from the doorway, he smiles, and Haru swears it’s like everything is suddenly ten degrees brighter.

“Hi there! I’m Tachibana Makoto, I just moved in next door and I thought I’d greet my neighbours.”

Haru nods. “Nanase Haruka.” 

“Um, I also brought some fruits from my home town, if you’d like?”

The door opens another inch. Haru takes the offered box of peaches. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome!” Tachibana grins again. “I hope I’ll see you around!”

Haru closes the door when his new neighbour finally takes his leave. He stares down at the peaches in his hands. He didn’t tell the guy that he probably won’t see Haru around, ever, but for some reason, Haru feels guilty, like he’s disappointing Tachibana Makoto. He shakes his head. Someone with that sunny of a smile isn’t someone that would bother with someone like Haru, anyway. He moves to find a place to put the peaches, mind already back with his latest project.

 

 

 

His new neighbour continues to knock on his door. Haru learns to open right away because the guy will just keep coming back. Most times he comes bearing food, though, so Haru doesn’t mind that much.

One night, Haru opens the door to find the other soaking wet and looking miserable. He tries to perk up when he spots Haru, but his hair is plastered to his forehead and he sneezes loud enough to echo.

“I’m sorry,” Tachibana says, looking mortified and tired. Haru’s still amazed at how someone’s expression can be so open and honest. He wonders if he can capture that with his hand. “I just, um... I can’t find my key. And the landlady won’t be back until tomorrow, so I was wondering... Oh, this is strange, isn’t it, we’re practically strangers...”

“Come in,” Haru says, surprising the both of them. But the boy is dripping all over his front entryway and shivering like heck. Haru’s not that heartless of a bastard yet.

He lets Tachibana borrow his shower, lending him some baggier clothes he never returned because it was too much of a hassle. Also because that requires stepping outside and why would he do that? Everything can be ordered online and delivered to his door nowadays. There’s no need for him to go outside.

Haru goes back to fixing dinner, making sure to cook enough to serve two. It’s been a long time since he cooked for someone else. His hands pause over the spices. What if Tachibana doesn’t like fish? Haru shakes his head. If Tachibana has a problem with mackerel, then Haru doesn’t need to be friends with this guy.

Not like he has any intention of doing that in the first place. He’s just being a good neighbour.

“Thanks for letting me use the shower,” Tachibana says, sitting down at the table. “You didn’t have to cook for me!”

“I’m hungry, too,” Haru says. He sits down across from Tachibana, and digs in.

“So,” Tachibana says, because apparently the guy can’t go for more than two minutes without making conversation. Haru waits anyway, because it’s been a long time since he talked to a real person and he was always a better listener. “Can I ask what you do? I’m assuming that you work from home, but I’m just curious, because it’s mostly family and elderly that live in this complex, so... Ah, but you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to!”

“Webcomic.”

“You’re an artist? That’s amazing!”

Haru blinks. That’s certainly not the first response he was expecting. Usually when he tells people what he does for a living, they ask him what he  _ really  _ does, as if it’s just a hobby. There’s another reason why he doesn’t go out of his way to talk to people anymore. At least his fans take him seriously, to some extent.

“That’s really cool, Nanase-san,” Tachibana is saying. “I bet you’re really good!”

Haru shrugs. “Haru is fine,” he says. “You don’t need to use honorifics with me.”

“Oh, sure! Makoto is fine for me, too.” His neighbour smiles at him. “By the way, your cooking is really good, I’m a little jealous! I can only make a few simple dishes, last time I tried cooking for real, I almost set the kitchen on fire...”

The dinner drags on for longer than Haru’s used to. He never manages to finish the drafts he had planned for that night, but instead he learns about his neighbour. Makoto is born in the same year he was, he likes the taste of watermelons in the summer, he has two younger siblings that are twins, and he enjoys swimming, just like Haru. He’s completing his final year of university, and working as a teacher’s assistant part time. Sometimes he gets homesick so terribly, but he’ll find things to do with his hands, like knitting or making scrapbooks. He thinks about adopting a kitten or two, but this apartment complex doesn’t allow pets.

“I like cats, too,” Haru murmurs, and Makoto beams at him.

“They’re the cutest, aren’t they?” he says, and Haru bites on his lips to stop himself from saying something stupid like  _ you’re pretty cute yourself _ .

He digs out a spare futon and when he shuts his bedroom door, he sits at his desk and tries his best to sketch a boy with the most gentle smile and the brightest sparkle in green, green eyes.

 

 

 

Makoto becomes a permanent presence during dinner. Haru finds that he likes the way Makoto genuinely seems to find his work interesting, the way Makoto laughs from the warmth of his belly, the way Makoto’s hands are gentle as they are large. There’s a sketchbook filled with half-finished drawings of Makoto by now, but Haru buries it deep within his drawers.

And then Makoto asks him, “Would you like to go somewhere with me?”

“No,” Haru replies flatly.

Makoto tilts his head, and Haru tries his best not to think of a sad puppy. He doesn’t really succeed. “Haru-chan, why do you hate going outside so much?”

Haru sighs at the nickname. “I told you to drop the -chan already.” He turns his face away. “There’s just no reason to.”

“Isn’t there someone you want to go?”

“Not really.”

“Not even... the aquarium?”

Haru glares. “You’re cheating.”

Makoto just smiles benevolently back at him. “I’ll treat you to dinner after, since you’re always cooking for me.”

Still, Haru hesitates. He’s gone outside to claim his mail and stuff, but he hasn’t ventured out of the apartment complex in a long time. 

A warm hand covers his own. Makoto says, “Go on an adventure with me, Haru-chan.”

Stubbornly, Haru keeps his face turned away. “You can have an adventure on your own.”

“It won’t be fun without you.”

Haru stays quiet for a heartbeat. Then, “... Okay.”

 

 

 

His comic is reaching its end after three long years of hard work, three long years of being holed up in his apartment. Haru stretches like a cat, feeling his muscles breathe after speeding through the lineart for the better part of the morning. He closes his laptop, and makes his way to the kitchen.

Makoto greets him briefly before turning back to the stove, a frown of concentration on his face as he attempts to flip an omelette. Haru watches, amused. The omelette isn’t perfect, but it’s mostly intact and it smells delicious. 

“Here,” Makoto says, presenting it to him proudly. “I didn’t even drop it on the floor this time.”

“You’re improving,” Haru says.

“Thanks to you, Haru-chan.”

Haru watches Makoto’s broad back as he washes the frying pan, humming to himself. It’s a familiar sight now, and the apartment next door is mostly empty as they work on the final paperwork for Makoto to move in completely. Something warm swells inside Haru’s chest, bubbling up slowly until he can feel his lips tugging upwards of their own accord. He’s recognizing it as happiness now.

“Makoto,” Haru says, and Makoto turns, ever-present smile waiting. “Let’s go for a walk later.”

“Okay,” Makoto agrees, and even when the door swings shut behind them, Haru feels perfectly safe because he’s found his home in the person standing beside him.

**Author's Note:**

> i'm @puddingcatbae on tumblr and twitter!!


End file.
